UNKNOWN HORIZON
by hollywooddove
Summary: Edward Mitton strolls into a small thrift looking for nothing but a relief to boredom and discovers more about himself than he ever wanted to know, pushing his destiny through a doorway he could have not imagined...
1. Chapter 1

Out on Church Street, named for the instance of a church standing at the streets head, there is a little thrift shop which does trade on second hand items mostly. The owner of the shop calls them collectables and antiques, though most are the unwanted refuge of attics and basements found through yard sales and online swaps. The shop can't be seen from the church, it's some distance down the road in what used to be a funeral home, slightly renovated; some locals who remember this claim they can still smell the ghosts of floral arrangements inside.

Manny Collin's, who owns the shop of 'collectables and antiques' had grown tired of the sound of the little bell above the door which rang out whenever it was opened . He replaced it with one of those new modern sensors which makes an electronic chime, sort of a bing-bong,; a close impersonation of a bell which would clang only twice every time it rattled, if such a device ever existed. The real bell was now on one of the shelves with a price sticker. The market was very stable for second hand items in the economy of this small town, and the electronic bing-bong happened quite often during the afternoons, not so much in the middle of the work day, and Manny carried different expressions in answer to the chime depending on the time of the day. In the afternoons, he would attack the doorway with a broad smile exposing the gap in his front teeth; during midday, he would look up curiously with a pursed lip and lines of surprise in his forehead.

It was a Wednesday, midday, when Edward Mitton entered the small thrift shop, notably his first time; he had passed the shop many times and felt it not worth his effort, but today he was in search of a relief to boredom. Manny gave Edward his curious gaze, then smiled a bit, "Hello there."

Edward, a young unmarried man with dark hair and pale skin, flashed a polite wave to Manny.

"Anything you looking for in particular?"

"No. Just thought I would come in and check you out. Browse around."

Manny nodded, "Sure, take your time. I have most anything you could imagine in here."

"Yeah, I will do that."

There were many shelves of what Edward would call pure junk, and he scanned over most of it with a bit of contempt that anyone would even place these items on a shelf and have the nerve to put a price on them. Second hand waffle irons, board games with torn or tattered boxes, dusty plastic fruit and flowers were some of the many unorganized items tossed onto the shelves. The four foot section of dishes, flatware, and shot glasses did strike him, as it did have sense of cohesiveness about it. He even found an old fashioned door bell, the kind which would hang over a door to notify when someone had opened it, with a 2.99 sticker on it. Edward picked it up and gave it a little jingle, and unseen to him, Manny looked up at the door with his curious stare out of old habit. Edward chuckled a bit at the nostalgia of the sound and placed it back on the shelf.

Even if most of the items were junk, Edward found himself amused at the variety, sometimes profiling who may have owned many of the items. He pictured a small girl with curly blond hair and pig tails riding the red tricycle in the corner, and a man in work clothes blowing his lawn with the leaf blower, and a woman much favoring his grandmother wearing the simple dress. The items commanded the images of previous owners, whose hands they may have been held by and how they might have been used. That was until he came to one item, one very odd item.

The camera was very old, the casing a simple wooden box, and there was a message on the front of it written in French. Edward had no association with the French language, and could not imagine who would have owned the camera, his life time had no reference for an item so old. For a moment, he inspected it, and saw there was no place to insert film. "Hm," he said quietly, "I wonder how this worked."

He placed the camera back and spied something beside it which brought an instant smile to his face, an item from his youth, a black ball filled with fluid which had a small window in it. If one were to shake the ball and look through the window, a die would float to the top and reveal a message in answer to any general yes or no question asked. Edward snatched the ball from the shelf and turned it in his hand, looking for the slightly engraved stamp of an 8, resembling the stamp on an 8 ball from a billiard table. The stamp was missing, it was covered by a novelty sticker of a devil's face, winking, and the exposed left eye was a plastic diamond where the iris should have been. With a brief snort Edward said, "Cool."

He asked the ball, "Will I be important one day?"

The shaken ball answered, "Outlook good."

He asked the ball, "Should I buy you?"

The ball answered, "Without a doubt."

"Okay, then, You're the boss." He rolled the ball in his hand and found no price sticker on it, "No price. Well, based on the rest of this stuff, you should be pretty reasonable. Will I get a good deal?" and he shook the ball.

The ball answered, "Better not tell you now."

No one would have considered there were two more people in the thrift shop, there had been no electric bing-bong. Observing Edward, they were standing at the end of the aisle towards the rear of the shop. Thick broken spectacles were on the face of an elderly, short man, who smiled slightly towards his comrade, who was dressed in a business suit, neatly with a tie. A look of doubt was on the face of the second man, and he gave only a shrug in return to the spectacled man.

The older mustached man said, "It's happening. After all of these years it is happening again. He's the one."

The suited man said, "He's so young. Hard to fathom it would be someone so young."

The two approached Edward, standing behind him, and the words they spoke were unheard to Edward. "Nice looking young man," said the fellow in the thick broken glasses.

The other man answered, "Henry, I have always wondered how you see anything with those glasses."

Henry smiled, "Your eyes get adjusted, given enough time."

"So, you really think he is the one? You really think it's all happening again?"

Henry embraced the other character's upper arms and said, "We're here, aren't we McNulty? What more proof do you need?"

McNulty said, "If you're right, then the world has certainly gotten itself into a pickle. Now you think about that."

Wafting about in noiseless narrative above Edward and the two unseen men spoke the words of Rod Serling, "A special interest in an insignificant location for a somewhat modest man has taken place: one Edward Mitton. He holds a toy from his youth, a reminder of simpler time, when things weren't so complex and anything seemed possible. Perhaps the charm of the toy is the feelings of lost youth, rekindled for one satisfying moment, or maybe a reminder of a forgotten ideology inside his heart. Either way, Edward is about to shake things up in a more profound sense as he travels on a path of self discovery, a path laid out before him, courtesy of the Twilight Zone."


	2. Chapter 2

Young Edward Mitton held the eight ball novelty toy in hands and studied the devilish sticker pasted over the location where the 8-ball symbol normally would show. Behind him, the two unheard and unseen characters continued to glare at the young man, as though this common fellow were a marvel of the universe. McNulty asked, "So, what do we do about it? What's protocol in this situation."

Henry replied, "For sure, we must let him know who he is."

"And how do we do that?"

Henry shrugged and frowned pleasantly, "Not sure. I suppose we will take it one step at a time."

McNulty said, "This may not go over in so much a terrific manner."

"No, it may not." Henry positioned an index finger over Edward's shoulder, stopping of short of tapping him, "So, here goes nothing."

With both hands, Edward caught the novelty eight ball which he almost dropped when Henry startled him by tapping his shoulder. He turned to see the two odd men behind him and said, "Excuse me?"

Henry smiled through the thick cracked lenses and said, "Excuse us, please, sincerely. We were wondering…"

Edward waited, and then asked, "Wondering what?"

"Oh, yes, we were wondering something, weren't we McNulty."

McNulty nodded, "Yeah, yeah. We were wondering something."

Edward waited again, and asked, "Wondering what, you were wondering what?"

McNulty said, "Henry, why don't you tell the young man what we were wondering."

Henry swallowed hard, "Honestly, it's more than a wonderment. It's more like… it's difficult to explain really."

McNulty smiled broadly, "You, Edward Mitton, are a one of kind. A real, honest to bones, one of kind. We have been sent here to tell you this."

Edward interrupted, "Wait a minute, how do you know my name? I don't know either of you."

Henry said, "Don't you find that incredible, that we know your name? Isn't that indeed a remarkable circumstance?"

Edward said, "Look, I don't know who you two are, but you're beginning to creep me out a bit…"

Henry said, "But you think it's possible, right. You believe there could be some far from ordinary circumstance, perhaps a situation which existentially is bound between you, and me, and McNulty here, which could explain how we know your name."

Edward raised a brow, "I don't know what you're talking about."

McNulty said, "You are rare, my boy. The rarest of the rare. You came here, today, and selected that item in your hand. You asked it questions, each of which you know it answered correctly. You are indeed rare my boy. It's no chance, you are the last of your kind, and so here we are, now you think about that."

Edward rapidly shook his head, clearing his mind, "I have no idea what you are talking about in the slightest, and again, you guys are beginning to creep me out."

Henry said slowly in a smooth voice, reaching out an touching Edward's shoulder, "My dear boy, you are the last true believer on the face of this entire Earth."

Edward chuckled, "What kind of prank are you two doing? Who put you up to this? Frank, did Frank set this up?"

Henry said, "This is no prank. You are the last true believer, and the time has come again."

Edward asked, "Believer in what?"

Henry motioned around, "Believer in the possibility that there is more to this reality than what you can trust your eyes, ears, and your very own mind to perceive."

Edward said, "There plenty of people who believe in many things. There is a church up the street, full of people who believe in a life and reality beyond this one."

Henry shook his head slowly with closed eyes and said, "No, no my dear boy. The world is full of people who believe they believe in something more, but they are in reality only going through the motions, relying on and being confined by the teachings handed down to them. They're everywhere, all throughout the world, and deep in their hearts, they believe only in what they can touch or rationalize. You are the last to believe there can be so much more."

McNulty said, "If you don't believe us, then put us to the test. You can do that, you know, now you just think about that."

Stepping onto the tight wire of insanity with these two strangers was, in Edward's mind, an action which should probably be avoided, but still he reckoned this to be a well thought out ruse. Curiosity had nested, nevertheless, and what harm could come from inquiring, "What kind of test?"

Henry said, "The novelty, in your hand, ask it a question."

Edward gave the two men a sly glance and said, "Okay. Do my parents live in Lythonia?" Edward shook the ball and read it, "My sources say no."

Henry asked, "So, do your parent's live there?"

Edward said, "No. But that could be just a coincidence."

Henry said, "But you know it could be more."

Edward slowly began to shake the ball again, "Am I twenty two years old?" He read, "Yes."

McNulty said, "You are twenty two?"

Edward said, "This is ridiculous. It doesn't prove a thing."

Henry said, "Okay, let's splash the pot then. Let's ask it something a bit more daring."

Edward said, "You aren't a couple of perverts are you?"

Henry laughed, "No, not at all. Ask it if there will be a car accident outside in few minutes."

Edward exclaimed, "What kind of sick thing is that to ask?"

Henry said, "No one gets hurt. It's only a slight bump outside the front door. Go ahead, ask it."

With the expression of a man unsure of his next move, Edward swapped his eyes from the ball to the men, to the ball, and back to the men.

Henry asked, "Why the hesitation, Edward?"

"You know, I still don't like the idea you guys know my name. And how did you get in here? I never heard the front door chime. And it seems like I have seen the two of you before. I know I have. Where?"

Henry said, "You're stalling Edward. Could it be you are afraid to ask? Could it be somewhere inside you are holding out for the impossible possibility I am telling the truth?"

Edward was in deep thought, and he said, "An old television show. You two are dressed up like a couple of characters I remember from an old television show. I can't remember which it was though…"

McNulty said, "Whether you shake that ball or not, the accident is going to happen, right outside the door. Now, you think about that."

Laughing a bit, Edward said, "Okay, okay. I will play along. Will there be a car accident in a few minutes?" He read, "You may rely on it."

Edward smiled at the two strangers and asked, "So, really, what was the name of the television show you two are imitating?"

Henry said, "I don't watch much television. I like to read."

Edward laughed, "Good one, ties in with your character if I remember…"

Beverly Johnson, who lived four blocks away from Church Street, owned the small Nissan coupe which butted the bumper of Pit Rowly's pickup truck just outside the glass entry way to the thrift shop. It wasn't much of an incident. She had failed to stop in time, and were it not for the squeal of her tires as the automobile suddenly braked Edward may have not been interrupted at all. Edward'a jaw hung open, and his eyes were dim with ignorance as he peered out the front entrance at the accident, "How far will you guys go for a prank… wait, is that… that is, Beverly Johnson's car."

As if the novelty ball might eject cactus spines from it any moment, Edward held it away from him in his finger tips only, looking on it in disdain. Manny had ran from behind his counter onto the sidewalk to assess Beverly and her car. Edward gave a frightful glare back at the two men.

McNulty pointed out at the accident, "Now, you think about that."

Henry reassured Edward, "She's fine. A little frightened, but fine. Don't worry about her."

Edward backed himself to a shelf, "What do you want? What's going on here?"

Henry smiled, "Just to tell you who you are, my boy. You are the last…"

Edward had a deep tremble in his voice, "You've already told me all that. What does it mean? What significance does any of that have?"

Henry's eyes grew gray and solemn, "You must discover that for yourself. You have one more question to ask the item." He gripped Edward's hands and reaffirmed a clasp on the eight ball; most seriously he said, "It's a question you must ask. I mean, we're here, right McNulty?"

McNulty nodded in agreement.

Henry continued, "You must ask the ball if you will see the end of the world."

Edward stammered, "Wha… No."

Henry said, "You must ask this question. If you don't believe me, ask the ball if you must ask that question."

Edward shook the ball, "Ball, should I ask you about the end of the world?" Edward read, "It is decidedly so."

Edward cried out, "This is all crazy. You know, the two of you, dressed like…"

Henry said, "I know, it sounds terrifying, a dystopian wasteland void of all inhabitants. I can tell you first hand, it is sorrowful and bleak. Brace yourself for that."

McNulty said, "You are a rare one indeed, Edward. Good luck. Maybe we will see you sometime on the other side."

Edward said, "Yeah, I will think about that."

From outside back inside, Manny called out, "Beverly sure is lucky. She stopped just in time." Edward spun his head towards Manny, caught completely by surprise and only nodded. When he turned back to the two strangers, they were gone.

Edward quickly placed the eight ball back on a shelf by some plastic flowers. The devil head faced him; the false diamond eye winking at him. Asking any more questions to the ball was, as far as he was concerned, out of the question. He backed away slowly and headed briskly toward the door. Manny asked him, "Didn't find anything you want?"

Edward shook his head, "No, no I didn't," and stepped out the door.

Manny frowned as he watched Edward disappear around the corner, "I always did think that boy was a bit odd."

\- to be continued in Chapter 3.


	3. Chapter 3

His hands weren't worth help to him for anything much at this point; Edward fumbled his smart phone from his pocket and dialed. Inside his automobile he felt a small margin safer, but he was in search for some rationale. While still parked and with one hand white knuckled on the steering wheel, Edward smiled when he heard an answer from the other end of the call.

"Frank," Edward nervously stated with a forced smile on his face, "I have to hand it to you, man. When you're good, you're good. That had to be the best practical joke you have ever pulled."

There was a pause, and Edward insisted, "Don't act coy with me Frank. Everyone knows you are the master of the prank, no one better than me. And after this one, I have to say, you deserve your own reality show."

Edward's smile waved a bit as he listened, and he responded, "Come on now Frank, I know it had to be you. I have to know how you found those two men to join in the prank. Did you pay them or bribe them? They were excellent. What was the name of that show they were portraying?"

Edward listened and began to become a bit stern, "Frank, give it up. Stop saying you don't know what I am talking about. Did you plant the toy eight ball in the thrift shop? I know I mentioned to you the other day I might go in and give the place a look today. Did you rig it to answer only a few positive answers? And what about and the car accident? How did you ever get someone like her to play along? She doesn't seem like the type at all to…"

Edward was interrupted by the chatter on the other side. His smile was vanquished, and he said, "Are you serious Frank? You don't know what I am talking about?" A brief listen and he said, "Well, then it had to be someone else. It was elaborate to say the least. I was in the thrift shop, and I found one of those old toy eight balls, and every time I asked it a question, it would give me exactly the correct answer. Then these two guys appeared from no where, and the ball predicted a car accident that happened outside…"

Edward responded to Frank hostilely, "Now, wait a minute, Frank. I'm not playing a joke on you, don't try to turn this around on me." Edward heard more and said, "Yes, I know what I am telling you is logically not possible, Frank. That's why it has to be something… a set up. Right? A toy eight ball, Frank. You remember, like we used to play with as kids. You ask it a question, and shake it up. Yeah. I know it is supposed to work on a statistical measure of the answers based on probability. I'm telling you, Frank, the thing predicted a car accident right outside the door of the shop. Manny saw the accident, you can ask him."

With great frustration, Edward placed the phone on speaker and tossed it on the console in front of him. Frank said, "… crazy Edward. Scientifically it would be impossible for any device to predict the future. You've been spooked by a set of coincidences. You know the things you say are unreasonable. But that's why you have always been so easy to prank, your imagination is so vivid that you go wild with the possibilities… Edward, it makes you gullible."

Edward closed his eyes and took a sigh and Frank asked, "Edward? You still there?"

"Yes, I am still here."

Frank inquired, "Where is this magical eight ball? Did you buy this soothsayer?"

"No. I left it in the shop. Decided it was best left alone." Edward's blood ran cold when he rubbed his fingers through his hair in exasperation and saw in the seat beside him: the novelty eight ball. Frank was speaking, but Edward could not hear through the ringing of his own disbelief. "Frank… I need to let you go. I will call you back, alright?"

"Sure. Go home and get some rest. Or better yet, go buy the ball and take it down the road to Pasture Lewis and ask him to predict the end times with it." Frank laughed.

Edward said, "That's an odd thing to say." The decal of the devil was looking up at Edward, winking with that insidious plastic diamond.

"I'm just joking Edward, for crying out loud. Go home. Take a nap."

Edward said, "Yeah, talk to you later." The call was completed.

Edward asked the ball, "What are you doing here?"

The ball rolled halfway revealing it's window of predictions. Edward read, "Reply hazy, try again." Sweat had begun to bead over his forehead, and he said to the ball, "I must be hallucinating. I have lost my mind. Hallucinations are possible, even for a young man like me. Maybe I have some disease, effecting my brain." With the answer window side up, the ball rolled off of the car bench on to the floor of it's own accord. It read, "Don't count on it."

Edward backed himself as possibly far from the eight ball as he could inside the car. His breathing was rapid, his mouth dry, and his head swayed with a light dizziness. Through the wind shield of the car he saw the steeple of the church in the distance. To the ball, he said, "You're evil. You have to be evil. You have a devil head on you for… you're evil. I know how to get rid of you. I know how to stop you."

He didn't realize he had failed to look before driving into the road, and he sped towards the church. By the sign which read "Franklin Community Church," the car swerved into the parking area. Edward stopped and parked; hesitantly he picked the ball up and said, "I know how to take care of you."

He jumped out the car and began up the steps of the church when he saw someone, back turned to him, preoccupied with the closed church door. Edward waited a moment, expecting the person to finish their activity and move away. Edward suddenly became aware that standing on the front stoop of a church with a mystic toy embroidered with a satanic head shot might require awkward, if not lengthy, explanation; he hid the novelty behind his back. Still, the person at the door lingered. Edward cleared his throat; it was time to get this show on the road.

The person at the door said, with back still turned, "Just one moment," in a chillingly familiar voice.

Edward asked, "Is it locked? Broken?"

"No, not locked. Not broken."

Edward spoke another question, "Is there something wrong? Can I help?"

"Everything is fine." The person turned to face Edward. There are times in a person's life when unexpected events can suck the breath from the lungs and leave the mind numb. Exercises in traumatism might be the leading situations when this happens. Of course, there are beautiful happenings which may also leave a person in this state, such as the day of their wedding, or the birth of child. Certainly, Edward was in this condition now, shocked beyond any measure he had ever experienced. The person had turned to reveal an absolute duplicate of Edward himself. From head to toe, an inspection of this stranger would map out every freckle and blemish to be identical to Edward's own. Even as a hair fell from Edward's head, so it did on the strangers in the very same instance. The stranger said to Edward, "And the answer is, yes. You can help."

Edward wanted to run, but was unable to move. His doppelganger twin said, "Relax. Take a deep breath."

Edward said, "I am loosing my mind. I have gone crazy."

The identical said, "I don't think so, Edward. My mind is just fine, so your's must be also." He pointed two fingers in a direction around Edward, "What's behind your back?"

Edward said, "Why don't you tell me?"

"You haven't asked it THE question yet, I see. Appears you're a bit confused."

Edward asked, "Confused about what?"

"Yourself."

With frustration, Edward asked, "What do you know about me?"

The identical smiled and splayed his hands outward, "Come on now, Edward. Really?"

"Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm another kind of you, and I mean you no harm."

Edward said, "I was told I am rare, one of a kind. How can that be if there are two of me?"

The other said, with a smug smile on his face, "That's strange. I am rare also. One of a kind."

Edward said, "I don't understand what is happening."

"Why are you here Edward? What are you searching for here?"

Edward showed the ball from behind his back, "You must know, I am going to destroy this."

"Then what, Edward? The eight ball is not the issue. It could have been one of thousands of different items. You must know, this is about you, not the ball. You could have destroyed it any time, anywhere. Why here?"

Edward said, "You seem to know everything. I am the only one in the dark. Why don't we stop all of this charade."

The other smiled, "Yes, Edward. Why don't we. Ask the question to the ball. Stop playing around."

"I don't want to ask that question."

"You are the key, Edward. The very last of your type. It places mankind in a very precarious reality. You're needed."

Edward began to shake the ball, "Okay. Okay. Enough of this. If I have to show you this is all a heap of rubbish, I will. Eight ball, will I see the end of the world?" The ball read, "It is certain."

The sinking sensation in Edward's loin almost dragged him to the ground. Frightfully, he asked his identical, "When? Is it soon? When will it happen?"

"Interesting. You missed the context of the question you asked. You asked if you would see the end of the world, not if you would endure it. It is possible to view something without enduring it."

Edward shook the ball, "Will I endure the end of the world?" The ball read, "Cannot predict now."

Edward complained, "It says 'Cannot predict now,' what is that supposed to mean?"

Edward's copy said, "I guess things are still up in the air over the matter. Are you prepared?"

Edward asked, "Prepared?"

"To see what could be?"

The doppelganger raised his hands, and the sky grew dark.


	4. Chapter 4

The scent of death can last long after the traces of life have vanished; it is as if the totality of it invades every grain of sand and even saturates the sky. Edward noticed this smell first, his eyes still closed fast, where he laid at the bottom of a flight of steps where the church once stood. Slowly he opened his eyes and raised his head, receiving his first view of the wasteland of what was once the world he lived in. He was lying face down, prostrate beneath a dark sky which had patches of glowing reds and oranges, inducing the notion that perhaps the clouds were still tempered from an unpronounceable heat which had raged from the ground.

No sound is perhaps what unbalanced him most at first, no automobiles roaring in the distance, no birds chirping, no breeze rustling the leaves, no chatter, no laughter, no cries. Where homes and trees had once stood was now what reminded Edward of a diseased gum line which had had its teeth extracted. The steps to the church still remained, he saw that, but the church was gone. The doors to the church, though, the doors which his identical self had been tampering with before he was thrust into this wasteland, still stood unharmed. His doppelganger was nowhere in sight.

Edward rose to his feet. "Hello," he called out, and the air he pushed from his lungs burned his vocal chords. "Hello, anyone. Is anyone out here?"

There was no answer at first, and then a weak voice called to him, "You… you there."

From a rubble pile of charred brick and twisted metal the voice came, and Edward incautiously approached, "Yes? Someone's there?"

"Here," it was a woman's voice. Using part of the ruined building for shelter, almost as a wild animal would den, features of a woman whose appearance seemed advanced beyond her years. "I am here. Do you have any food?"

Edward shook his head and said, "No. I don't have any food."

The woman asked, "Where did you find the clean clothes? Was there any food there?"

Edward noticed his clothes were still the same as they were when he had stood speaking the mysterious identical version of himself in what seemed like only moments ago. The clothes were out of place, and his skin was clean, although a soft film of soot was settling. He told the woman, "I just got here. I'm not supposed to be here."

She said, "No one is supposed to be here. I don't know how I lived through it all. I guess…" she coughed, "just unlucky, I guess."

Edward tried to explain, "No. I missed the whatever happened. I didn't see any of it."

"You had a bomb shelter? Were you in a bomb shelter? I heard rumors some people had those in the days before."

Edward said, "It's hard for me to explain. But I don't know what happened. Was there a war? Did an asteroid strike the Earth? What happened."

She laughed, and it sounded as though it came out painfully. "You're serious. It was war. We all saw it coming, but didn't believe it would really happen."

"Who attacked? What kind of war?"

"It was everyone. Terrorism had become more and more frequent, and the world fought back. We fought back with all we knew. As nations fell, we were told everything was under control, that the tactics being used to fight back and gain control had been tested before in earlier wars and we could not fail. We heard statistics and fears and saw people withdraw into groups. And still, we were told with each solution which had worked before, tried and true, peace and order would soon be restored." She laughed and doubled over in pain.

Edward looked on her sadly and asked, "What's funny?"

"Everyone perished, no matter what we tried. It was if it was going to happen no matter… like we helped it happen by trying to stop it happen. It was almost comical. Now that I look back at it, it's as if we had our heads planted deeply up our own arrogance. But it doesn't matter now. Just like it didn't matter when the bombs were falling, and all you could hear was people crying, and you could see the skin melt from people's bones. Look around you. It's hilarious, isn't it?"

Edward had nothing to say.

She spoke, "You try anything funny and I will kill you. I've already had to kill a few, I've gotten pretty good at it."

Edward backed away some, "I'm not going to hurt you."

She growled, "Give me some food. I gave you what you asked for. You ain't starved any. Look at you, plenty of meat on your bones. You have some food somewhere. Give me some food."

Edward moaned, "I was told I wouldn't have to endure."

She hissed, "You endured nothing. Look at you. Still clean, lot's of meat on your bones. Your endured nothing. Give me some food."

Edward replied, "I'm sorry. I don't have any food. It's all gone now."

She frowned and spat at him, "Lies. I gave you what you wanted." Her eyes became wild and she screamed, "GET AWAY! GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Tripping as he fled, Edward ran back to the steps of the church. He had wandered farther away than he had realized. He fell to his knees at the bottom of the steps, looking back up to the doors which still stood. "I want to go back. I don't want to be here. Take me back."

The novelty eight ball, shining beneath the eerie glow of the sky, was lying beside Edward and he noticed it. He picked it up and shook it aggressively as he screamed, "You take me back! Take me back home, take me home! I don't want to be here anymore." Edward rose to his feet, still shaking the ball, "Take me home! I want to go home! I've seen it! I've seen it and I want to go home!"

He stopped shaking and peered into the window of answers. The inky blackness was void, and a white spot appeared as the corner of the die tapped the window. It disappeared. Then the die leveled to reveal it's answer. Edward screamed like a wounded animal and he fumed, every joint in his body trembling. The doors were at the top of the church steps, were they mocking him as well? He questioned the doors, "What do you want? Well? What do you want?"

Edward threw the ball at the doors, hoping to smash either, preferably both. Instead of granting this wish, the most unexpected happened. The doors opened, and from behind was blackness, and the ball shot inside. Edward mumbled, "Hello? Anyone there?" Who had opened the doors which stood alone with no building to support them? "Hello?" Edward began to climb the steps to the doors. He spoke quietly, "Is it the way home? If I go through, will I go home? Am I saved?"

When Edward arrived to the top of the steps, he noticed the blackness within the doors was not darkness alone. It was eternity, infinite distance, a horizon with no end, filled with the sparkle of stars whose constellations he had never seen before. "I don't understand."

Edward jumped a little when a voice came from the door and answered him. It was a familiar voice, one he knew from some place and had long forgotten. The voice said, "Think. You do understand."

Unsure of what to say, Edward inquired, "Whose there?"

A dark silhouette of a tall man appeared in the doorway between Edward and the space beyond. "Think, Edward. You do understand."

"I understand the world has come to an end and I appear to be stuck here. That's what I understand."

The shadowed figure stepped into the light. The man was dressed neatly in a suit; he had thick dark hair and a charming, confident smile. "Don't be afraid, Edward. You aren't trapped here."

Brows intent, Edward said, "I know you. I mean I don't know you. I've seen you. Haven't I seen you. I definitely know the voice. You were on a television show, black and white. I remember you from my childhood. You're name is Sterling, right. Sterling."

The stranger smiled broadly, "It's pronounced Serling."

Edward said in amazement, "I had no idea you are still alive."

Serling looked down and shoes and then back to Edward, "I exist, just as you exist."

"You had a show where strange and twisted things happened to people." Edward looked around, "Very much like what is happening to me right now. It was called 'The Twilight Zone,' correct?"

Serling took a step towards Edward. A certain romance overtook Edward when he looked into Serling's eyes; it was fatherly, and as if the sun had washed over him. Edward could feel his heart open, and once more he could hear the rustle of leaves playing in the breeze, and home became more than a word. No more love could have emoted from a being when Serling said with a sparkle deep in remembrence, "The stories were true. It all happened."

Edward nodded and looked around him, "I can believe that."

"You always could, and this is the reason you are here." Serling could see that Edward was bewildered and continued, "At times, the human race reaches a point where it becomes so self indulgent that it cannot see past itself. It believes it has learned so much, that it relies only on it's previous learning and doctrines to steer forward. It looses that one quality, that third option, to see beyond and find faith in possibilities which appear by all logic impossible."

Edward said, "Imagination. You are talking about imagination."

Serling replied, "Correct. Imagination that goes outside of reason, and has a faith it can be so."

Edward asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

"During these times, people are selected to endure the impossible. The doors of imagination must be opened once again by their shared experience, what you know as 'The Twilight Zone.' Technology has changed, Edward. Habits belong to new trappings. We need you for a reference point as we guide the human race away from its own demise."

Edward asked, "What if I say no. What if I don't want to. Is this going to happen just as I see it now? Will this happen in my life time?"

Serling said, "Eventually it will happen. And you can say no. You can try to run from your destiny Edward, and you can fight yourself, but YOU will always end."

Serling stretched out his hand, and Edward took it. Together they stepped through the doorway into the unknown horizon together. The doors closed softly behind them.

From above the ruined land the voice of Rod Serling proclaimed, "There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. You have just crossed over into this area, which we call the Twilight Zone."


End file.
